Configurable memory system

ABSTRACT

An interface circuit that emulates a memory circuit having a first organization using a memory circuit having a second organization, wherein the second organization includes a number of banks, a number of rows, a number of columns, and a number of bits per column.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/508,496, filed Jul. 23, 2009, which claims the priority benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/083,878, filed Jul. 25, 2008, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to memory systems and, more specifically, to improvements to such memory systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

Dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) are typically constructed as single-rank, dual-rank, or quad-rank modules, wherein a rank refers to the plurality of memory circuits (e.g. DRAMs) that are controlled by a common control (e.g. chip select) signal and are accessed in parallel by a system that includes a memory controller. These memory modules typically have 64 data bits (i.e. 64-bit wide memory module or memory module with 64-bit wide rank(s)), and optionally may include an additional 8 check bits that provide error detection and correction capability (i.e. 72-bit wide memory module or memory module with 72-bit wide rank(s)).

Standard memory circuits are available with a 16-bit wide data bus (e.g. x16 DRAM), an 8-bit wide data bus (e.g. x8 DRAM), or a 4-bit wide data bus (e.g. x4 DRAM). Consequently, a 72-bit wide memory module requires nine 8-bit wide memory circuits per rank or eighteen 4-bit wide memory circuits per rank. Since memory circuit failures are not an uncommon occurrence, computer architects have developed a technique that allows mission-critical computers to continue operating in the event that a single memory circuit per rank fails. This technique is known by various trademarks such as Chipkill, Advanced ECC, or SDDC (Single Device Data Correction). Modern Chipkill or SDDC requires the use of eighteen memory circuits in parallel to be tolerant to the loss of a single circuit. Memory modules with x4 memory circuits are typically used in mission-critical servers since they have eighteen memory circuits per rank, and thus provide the server with the ability to continue operating when a single memory circuit per rank has failed.

Memory modules with x4 memory circuits usually dissipate more power than modules with x8 memory circuits since eighteen memory circuits respond in parallel to each command from the memory controller whereas only nine memory circuits respond in parallel on modules with x8 memory circuits. Many server manufacturers choose to offer only memory modules with x4 memory circuits on some of their server models while choosing to offer memory modules with x8 memory circuits on other server models. As a result, the end user has less flexibility to select between higher memory reliability and lower memory power.

The different ranks on a memory module share the data bus of the module. For example, in a dual-rank memory module, DQ[3:0] of the module's data bus is connected to the data pins of the memory circuit corresponding to DQ[3:0] of rank 0 and to the data pins of the memory circuit corresponding to DQ[3:0] of rank 1.

Since the ranks on a memory module share the data bus, the memory controller allows for one or more bus turnaround or idle clock cycles between accessing a first rank and accessing a second rank. This turnaround time ensures that there is sufficient time for the memory circuits of the first rank to disconnect from the data bus (e.g. post-amble) and for memory circuits of the second rank to connect to the data bus (e.g. pre-amble). For example, when the memory controller sends a read command to a first rank followed by a read command to a second rank, it ensures that there is at least one clock cycle between the last data from the first rank and the first data from the second rank. This turnaround time creates “bubbles” or idle clock cycles on the shared data bus that interconnects the memory controller and the memory modules, which reduces the utilization of the data bus, which in turn lowers the maximum sustained bandwidth of the memory subsystem.

As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a memory subsystem and method that overcome the shortcomings of prior art systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth an interface circuit that emulates a memory circuit having a first organization using a memory circuit having a second organization, wherein the second organization includes a number of banks, a number of rows, a number of columns, and a number of bits per column. The interface circuit also enables memory modules with one or more configurable aspects, wherein the aspect includes number of ranks, power, reliability, performance, access type, and timing.

One advantage of the disclosed interface circuit and memory subsystem is that it can provide higher memory performance by not requiring idle bus cycles to turn around the data bus when switching from reading from one rank to reading from another rank, or from writing to one rank to writing to another rank. Another advantage of the disclosed interface circuit and memory subsystem is that it can enable the end user to select between higher memory subsystem reliability and lower memory subsystem power dissipation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a memory subsystem, one component of which is a single-rank memory module (e.g. registered DIMM or R-DIMM) that uses x8 memory circuits (e.g. DRAMs), according to prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a memory subsystem, one component of which is a single-rank memory module that uses x4 memory circuits, according to prior art;

FIG. 3 illustrates a memory subsystem, one component of which is a dual-rank registered memory module that uses x8 memory circuits, according to prior art;

FIG. 4 illustrates a memory subsystem that includes a memory controller with four memory channels and two memory modules per channel, according to prior art;

FIG. 5 illustrates a timing diagram of a burst length of 8 (BL8) read to a rank of memory circuits on a memory module and that of a burst length or burst chop of 4 (BL4 or BC4) read to a rank of memory circuits on a memory module;

FIG. 6 illustrates a memory subsystem, one component of which is a memory module with a plurality of memory circuits and one or more interface circuits, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a timing diagram of a read to a first rank on a memory module followed by a read to a second rank on the same memory module, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a timing diagram of a write to a first rank on a memory module followed by a write to a second rank on the same module, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a memory subsystem that includes a memory controller with four memory channels, where each channel includes one or more interface circuits and four memory modules, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a memory subsystem, one component of which is a memory module with a plurality of memory circuits and one or more interface circuits, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows an example timing diagram of reads to a first rank of memory circuits alternating with reads to a second rank of memory circuits, according to an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 12 shows an example timing diagram of writes to a first rank of memory circuits alternating with writes to a second rank of memory circuits, according to an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a memory subsystem that includes a memory controller with four memory channels, where each channel includes one or more interface circuits and two memory modules per channel, according to still yet another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 14A-14F illustrate various configurations of memory sections, processor sections, and interface circuits, according to various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates some of the major components of a memory subsystem 100, according to prior art. As shown, the memory subsystem 100 includes a memory controller 140 and a single-rank memory module 110 interconnected via a memory bus that includes a data bus 160 and an address and control bus 170. As shown, the memory module 110 is composed of a rank of x8 memory circuits (e.g. DRAMs) 120A-I and an interface circuit 130 that performs the address and control register function. When the memory controller 140 performs, say, a read from the single rank of memory circuits 120A-I on memory module 110, all the nine memory circuits 120A-I respond in parallel to the read.

FIG. 2 illustrates some of the major components of a memory subsystem 200, according to prior art. As shown, the memory subsystem 200 includes a memory controller 240 and a single-rank memory module 210 interconnected via a memory bus that includes a data bus 260 and an address and control bus 270. As shown, the memory module 210 is composed of a rank of x4 memory circuits 220A-R and an interface circuit 230 that performs the address and control register function. When the memory controller 240 performs, say, a read from the single rank of memory circuits 220A-R on memory module 210, all the eighteen memory circuits 220A-R respond in parallel to the read. It should be noted that the memory circuits 220A-R may be transposed on the module 210 in many ways. For example, half the memory circuits may be on a first side of the module 210 while the other half may be on a second side of the module.

FIG. 3 illustrates some of the major components of a memory subsystem 300, according to prior art. As shown, the memory subsystem 300 includes a memory controller 340 and a dual-rank memory module 310 interconnected via a memory bus that includes a data bus 360. As shown, the memory module 310 is composed of a first rank of x8 memory devices 320A-I, a second rank of x8 memory devices 320J-R, an interface circuit 330 that performs the address and control register function, and a non-volatile memory circuit 334 (e.g. EEPROM) that includes information about the configuration and capabilities of memory module 310. For ease of illustration, the address and control bus interconnecting the memory controller 340 and the interface circuit 330 as well as the address and control bus interconnecting the interface circuit 330 and the memory circuits 320A-R are not shown. It should be noted that the memory circuits may be transposed on the memory module in many different ways. For example, the first rank of memory circuits 320A-I may be placed on one side of the module while the second rank of memory circuits 320J-R may be placed on the other side of the module. Alternately, some subset of the memory circuits of both the ranks may be placed on one side of the memory module while the remaining memory circuits of the two ranks may be on the other side of the memory module. As shown, the two ranks of memory devices on the memory module 310 share the data bus 360. To illustrate, memory circuit 320A corresponds to data bits [7:0] of the first rank while memory circuit 320J corresponds to data bits [7:0] of the second rank. As a result, the data pins of memory circuits 320A and 320J are connected to the signal lines corresponding to data bits [7:0] of the data bus 360. In other words, the first and second rank of memory devices are said to have a shared or ‘dotted’ data bus. A dual-rank memory module composed of x4 memory circuits would look similar to memory module 310 except that each rank would have eighteen x4 memory circuits.

FIG. 4 illustrates a four channel (i.e. four memory bus) memory subsystem 400, according to prior art. As shown, the memory subsystem 400 includes a memory controller 410 and four memory channels 420, 430, 440, and 450. Furthermore, as illustrated, each memory channel supports up to two memory modules. For example, memory channel 420 supports memory modules 422 and 424. Similarly, memory channel 430 supports memory modules 432 and 434, memory channel 440 supports memory modules 442 and 444, and memory channel 450 supports memory modules 452 and 454. The memory modules can be single-rank, dual-rank, or quad-rank modules. Furthermore, the memory modules on each channel share a common memory bus. Therefore, the memory controller 410 inserts idle cycles on the bus when switching from accessing one rank on a given channel to accessing a different rank on the same channel. For example, the memory controller 410 inserts one or more idle cycles on memory bus 420 when switching from accessing a first rank (not shown) on memory module 422 to accessing a second rank (not shown) on memory module 422. The idle bus cycle(s) or bus turnaround time needed when switching from accessing a first rank on a DIMM to accessing a second rank on the same DIMM is commonly referred to as the intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time. Furthermore, the memory controller 410 inserts one or more idle bus cycles on memory bus 420 when switching from accessing a rank (of memory circuits) on memory module 422 to accessing a rank on memory module 424. The idle bus cycle(s) or bus turnaround time needed when switching from accessing a rank on a first DIMM of a memory channel to accessing a rank on a second DIMM of the same memory channel is commonly referred to as the inter-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time. The intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time and the inter-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time may be the same or may be different. As can be seen from FIG. 4, these turnaround times are needed because all the ranks on a given memory channel share a common memory bus. These turnaround times have an appreciable impact on the maximum sustained bandwidth of the memory subsystem 400.

Typical memory controllers support modules with x4 memory circuits and modules with x8 memory circuits. As described previously, Chipkill requires eighteen memory circuits to be operated in parallel. Since a memory module with x4 memory circuits has eighteen memory circuits per rank, the memory channels 420, 430, 440, and 450 may be operated independently when memory modules with x4 memory circuits are used in memory subsystem 400. This mode of operation is commonly referred to as independent channel mode. However, memory modules with x8 memory circuits have only nine memory circuits per rank. As a result, when such memory modules are used in memory subsystem 400, two memory channels are typically operated in parallel to provide Chipkill capability. To illustrate, say that all memory modules in memory subsystem 400 are modules with x8 memory circuits. Since eighteen memory circuits must respond in parallel to a memory read or memory write to provide Chipkill capability, the memory controller 410 may issue a same read command to a first rank on memory module 422 and to a first rank on memory module 442. This ensures that eighteen memory circuits (nine on module 422 and nine on module 442) respond in parallel to the memory read. Similarly, the memory controller 410 may issue a same write command to a first rank on module 422 and a first rank on module 442. This method of operating two channels in parallel is commonly referred to as lockstep or ganged channel mode. One drawback of the lockstep mode is that in modern memory subsystems, the amount of data returned by the two memory modules in response to a read command may be greater than the amount of data needed by the memory controller. Similarly, the amount of data required by the two memory modules in association with a write command may be greater than the amount of data provided by the memory controller. For example, in a DDR3 memory subsystem, the minimum amount of data that will be returned by the target memory modules in the two channels operating in lockstep mode in response to a read command is 128 bytes (64 bytes from each channel). However, the memory controller typically only requires 64 bytes of data to be returned in response to a read command. In order to match the data requirements of the memory controller, modern memory circuits (e.g. DDR3 SDRAMs) have a burst chop capability that allows the memory circuits to connect to the memory bus for only half of the time when responding to a read or write command and disconnect from the memory bus during the other half. During the time the memory circuits are disconnected from the memory bus, they are unavailable for use by the memory controller. Instead, the memory controller may switch to accessing another rank on the same memory bus.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example timing diagram 500 of a modern memory circuit (e.g. DDR3 SDRAM) operating in normal mode and in burst chop mode. As shown, a rank of memory circuits receives a read command from the memory controller in clock cycle T₀. In the normal mode of operation, the memory circuits respond by driving eight bits of data on each data line during clock cycles T_(n) through T_(n+3). This mode is also referred to as BL8 mode (burst length of 8). However, in the burst chop mode, the memory circuits receive a read command from the memory controller in clock cycle T₀ and respond by driving only four bits of data on each data line during clock cycles T_(n) and T_(n+1). The memory circuits disconnect from the memory bus during clock cycles T_(n+2) and T_(n+3). This mode is referred to as BL4 or BC4 (burst length of 4 or burst chop of 4) mode. The earliest time the same memory circuits can re-connect to the memory bus for a following read or write operation is clock cycle T_(n+4).

FIG. 6 illustrates some of the major components of a memory subsystem 600, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the memory subsystem 600 includes a memory controller 650 and a memory module 610 interconnected via a memory bus that includes a data bus 660 and an address and control bus 670. As shown, the memory module 610 is composed of thirty six x8 memory circuits 620A-R and 630A-R, one or more interface circuits 640, an interface circuit 652 that performs the address and control register function, and a non-volatile memory circuit 654 (e.g. EEPROM) that includes information about the configuration and capabilities of memory module 610. For the purpose of illustration, eighteen interface circuits 640 are shown, each of which has an 8-bit wide data bus 680 that connects to the corresponding two memory circuits and a 4-bit wide data bus 690 that connects to the data bus 660 of the memory bus. It should be noted that the functions of all the interface circuits 640 and optionally, that of the interface circuit 652, may be implemented in a single integrated circuit or in multiple integrated circuits. It should also be noted that the memory circuits 620A-R and 630A-R may be transposed in many different ways on the memory module. For example, the memory circuits 620A-R may all be on one side of the memory module whereas the memory circuits 630A-R may all be on the other side of the module. Alternately, some subset of the memory circuits 620A-R and some subset of the memory circuits 630A-R may be on one side of the memory module while the remaining memory circuits are on the other side of the module. In yet another implementation, two memory circuits that have a common data bus to the corresponding interface circuit (e.g. memory circuit 620A and memory circuit 630A) may be in a dual-die package (DDP) and thus, share a common package.

Memory module 610 may be configured as a memory module with four ranks of x8 memory circuits (i.e. quad-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits), as a memory module with two ranks of x8 memory circuits (i.e. dual-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits), as a memory module with two ranks of x4 memory circuits (i.e. dual-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits), or as a memory module with one rank of x4 memory circuits (i.e. single-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits).

FIG. 6 illustrates memory module 610 configured as a dual-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits. In other words, the thirty six x8 memory circuits are configured into a first rank of eighteen memory circuits 620A-R and a second rank of eighteen memory circuits 630A-R. It can be seen from the figure that the interface circuits 640 collectively have a 72-bit wide data interface 690 to the memory controller 650 and a 144-bit wide data interface 680 to the ranks of memory circuits on the memory module 610. When the memory controller 650 issues a BL8 access, say a read, to the first rank of memory circuits (i.e. memory circuits 620A-R), the interface circuits 640 performs a BL4 read access to memory circuits of that rank. This ensures that memory circuits 620A-R release the shared data bus 680 between the interface circuits 640 and the ranks after two clock cycles (instead of driving the shared data bus for four clock cycles for a BL8 access).

FIG. 7 shows an example timing diagram 700 of a read to the first rank of memory circuits 620A-R followed by a read to the second rank of memory circuits 630A-R when memory module 610 is configured as a dual-rank module with x4 memory circuits, according to an embodiment of this invention. The memory controller 650 issues a BL8 read command (not shown) to the first rank of memory circuits 620A-R. This is converted to a BL4 read command 710 by one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 and sent to memory circuits 620A-R. Each of the memory circuits 620A-R returns the requested data 730 as four bytes in two clock cycles on data bus 680. This data is received by interface circuit 640 and re-transmitted to the memory controller 650 as eight nibbles (i.e. as BL8 data on the 4-bit wide bus 690) of data 750. In other words, each of the memory circuits 620A-R outputs four bytes of data 730 to interface circuit 640 which, in turn, sends the data as eight nibbles 750 to the memory controller. As shown in FIG. 7, the memory circuits 620A-R connect to the data bus 680 for two clock cycles and then disconnect from the data bus 680. This gives memory circuits 630A-R sufficient time to connect to data bus 680 and be ready to respond to a read command exactly four clock cycles after a read command was issued to memory circuits 620A-R. Thus, when memory module 610 is configured as a dual-rank module with x4 memory circuits (i.e. when a x4 memory circuit is emulated using a x8 memory circuit), memory subsystem 600 may operate with a 0-cycle (zero cycle) intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time for reads. In other words, the memory controller does not need to ensure idle bus cycles on data bus 660 while performing successive and continuous or contiguous read operations to the different ranks of memory circuits on memory module 610. The read command to memory circuits 630A-R, the data from each of the memory circuits 630A-R, and the corresponding data re-transmitted by interface circuit 640 to the memory controller 650 are labeled 720, 740, and 760 respectively in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows an example timing diagram 800 of a write to the first rank of memory circuits 620A-R followed by a write to the second rank of memory circuits 630A-R when memory module 610 is configured as a dual-rank module with x4 memory circuits, according to an embodiment of this invention. The memory controller 650 issues a BL8 write command (not shown) to the first rank of memory circuits 620A-R. This is converted to a BL4 write command 810 by one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 and sent to memory circuits 620A-R. Interface circuit 640 receives write data 830 from the memory controller 650 as eight nibbles (i.e. as BL8 data on the 4-bit wide data bus 690). Interface circuit 640 then sends the write data to memory circuits 620A-R as four bytes 850 (i.e. as BL4 data on the 8-bit wide data bus 680). As shown in the figure, the memory circuits 620A-R connect to the data bus 680 for two clock cycles and then disconnect from the data bus 680. This gives memory circuits 630A-R sufficient time to connect to data bus 680 and be ready to accept a write command exactly four clock cycles after a write command was issued to memory circuits 620A-R. Thus, when memory module 610 is configured as a dual-rank module with x4 memory circuits (i.e. when a x4 memory circuit is emulated using a x8 memory circuit), memory subsystem 600 may operate with a 0-cycle intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time for writes. In other words, the memory controller does not need to insert idle bus cycles on data bus 660 while performing successive and continuous or contiguous write operations to the different ranks of memory circuits on memory module 610. The write command to memory circuits 630A-R, the data received by interface circuit 640 from memory controller 650, and the corresponding data re-transmitted by interface circuit 640 to memory circuits 630A-R are labeled 820, 840, and 860 respectively in FIG. 8.

Memory module 610 that is configured as a dual-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits as described above provides higher reliability (by supporting ChipKill) and higher performance (by supporting 0-cycle intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround times).

Memory module 610 may also be configured as a single-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits. In this configuration, two memory circuits that have a common data bus to the corresponding interface circuits (e.g. 620A and 630A) are configured by one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 to emulate a single x4 memory circuit with twice the capacity of each of the memory circuits 620A-R and 630A-R. For example, if each of the memory circuits 620A-R and 630A-R is a 1 Gb, x8 DRAM, then memory module 610 is configured as a single-rank 4 GB memory module with 2 Gb x4 memory circuits (i.e. memory circuits 620A and 630A emulate a single 2 Gb x4 DRAM). This configuration provides higher reliability (by supporting ChipKill).

Memory module 610 may also be configured as quad-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits. In this configuration, memory circuits 620A, 620C, 620E, 620G, 6201, 620K, 620M, 6200, and 620Q may be configured as a first rank of 8 memory circuits; memory circuits 620B, 620D, 620F, 620H, 620J, 620L, 620N, 620P, and 620R may be configured as a second rank of x8 memory circuits; memory circuits 630A, 630C, 630E, 630G, 6301, 630K, 630M, 630O, and 630Q may be configured as a third rank of x8 memory circuits; and memory circuits 630B, 630D, 630F, 630H, 630J, 630L, 630N, 630P, and 630R may be configured as fourth rank of x8 memory circuits. This configuration requires the functions of interface circuits 640 and optionally that of 652 to be implemented in nine or fewer integrated circuits. In other words, each interface circuit 640 must have at least two 8-bit wide data buses 680 that connect to the corresponding memory circuits of all four ranks (e.g. 620A, 620B, 630A, and 630B) and at least an 8-bit wide data bus 690 that connects to the data bus 660 of the memory bus. This is a lower power configuration since only nine memory circuits respond in parallel to a command from the memory controller. In this configuration, interface circuit 640 has two separate data buses 680, each of which connects to corresponding memory circuits of two ranks. In other words, memory circuits of a first and third rank (i.e. first set of ranks) share one common data bus to the corresponding interface circuit while memory circuits of a second and fourth rank (i.e. second set of ranks) share another common data bus to the corresponding interface circuit. Interface circuit 640 may be designed such that when memory module 610 is configured as a quad-rank module with x8 memory circuits, memory system 600 may operate with 0-cycle rank-rank turnaround times for reads or writes to different sets of ranks but operate with a non-zero-cycle rank-rank turnaround times for reads or writes to ranks of the same set. Alternately, interface circuit may be designed such that when memory module 610 is configured as a quad-rank module with x8 memory circuits, memory system 600 operates with non-zero-cycle rank-rank turnaround times for reads or writes to any of the ranks of memory module 610.

Memory module 610 may also be configured as a dual-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits. This configuration requires the functions of interface circuits 640 and optionally that of 652 to be implemented in nine or fewer integrated circuits. In other words, each interface circuit 640 must have at least two 8-bit wide data buses 680 that connect to the corresponding memory circuits of all four ranks (e.g. 620A, 620B, 630A, and 630B) and at least an 8-bit wide data bus 690 that connects to the data bus 660 of the memory bus. In this configuration, two memory circuits that have separate data buses to the corresponding interface circuit (e.g. 620A and 620B) are configured by one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 to emulate a single x8 memory circuit with twice the capacity of each of the memory circuits 620A-R and 630A-R. For example, if each of the memory circuits 620A-R and 630A-R is a 1 Gb, x8 DRAM, then memory module 610 may be configured as a dual-rank 4 GB memory module with 2 Gb x8 memory circuits (i.e. memory circuits 620A and 620B emulate a single 2 Gb x8 DRAM). This configuration is a lower power configuration since only nine memory circuits respond in parallel to a command from the memory controller.

FIG. 9 illustrates a four channel memory subsystem 900, according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the memory subsystem 900 includes a memory controller 910 and four memory channels 920, 930, 940, and 950. Furthermore, as illustrated, each memory channel has one interface circuit and supports up to four memory modules. For example, memory channel 920 has one interface circuit 922 and supports up to four memory modules 924A, 924B, 926A, and 926B. Similarly, memory channel 930 has one interface circuit 932 and supports up to four memory modules 934A, 934B, 936A, and 936B; memory channel 940 has one interface circuit 942 and supports up to four memory modules 944A, 944B, 946A, and 946B; and memory channel 950 has one interface circuit 952 and supports up to four memory modules 954A, 954B, 956A, and 956B. It should be noted that the function performed by each of the interface circuits 922, 932, 942, and 952 may be implemented in one or more integrated circuits.

Interface circuit 922 has two separate memory buses 928A and 928B, each of which connects to two memory modules. Similarly, interface circuit 932 has two separate memory buses 938A and 938B, interface circuit 942 has two separate memory buses 948A and 948B, and interface circuit 952 has two separate memory buses 958A and 958B. The memory modules in memory subsystem 900 may use either x4 memory circuits or x8 memory circuits. As an option, the memory subsystem 900 including the memory controller 910 and the interface circuits 922, 932, 942, and 952 may be implemented in the context of the architecture and environment of FIGS. 6-8. Of course, the memory subsystem 900 including the memory controller 910 and the interface circuits 922, 932, 942, and 952 may be used in any desired environment. It should also be noted that the aforementioned definitions may apply during the present description.

If the memory modules in memory subsystem 900 use x4 memory circuits, then interface circuit 922 may be configured to provide the memory controller with the ability to switch between a rank on memory bus 928A and a rank on memory bus 928B without needing any idle bus cycles on memory bus 920. However, one or more idle bus cycles are required on memory bus 920 when switching between a first rank on memory bus 928A and a second rank on memory bus 928A because these ranks share a common bus. The same is true for ranks on memory bus 928B. Interface circuits 932, 942, and 952 (and thus, memory buses 930, 940, and 950 respectively) may be configured similarly.

If the memory modules in memory subsystem 900 use x8 memory circuits, then interface circuit 922 may be configured to emulate a rank of x4 memory circuits using two ranks of x8 memory circuits (one rank on memory bus 928A and one rank on memory bus 928B). This configuration provides the memory controller with the ability to switch between any of the ranks of memory circuits on memory buses 928A and 928B without any idle bus cycles on memory bus 920. Alternately, the interface circuit 922 may be configured to not do any emulation but instead present the ranks of x8 memory circuits on the memory modules as ranks of x8 memory circuits to the memory controller. In this configuration, the memory controller may switch between a rank on memory bus 928A and a rank on memory bus 928B without needing any idle bus cycles on memory bus 920 but require one or more idle bus cycles when switching between two ranks on memory bus 928A or between two ranks on memory bus 928B. Interface circuits 932, 942, and 952 (and thus, memory buses 930, 940, and 950 respectively) may be configured similarly.

FIG. 10 illustrates some of the major components of a memory subsystem 1000, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the memory subsystem 1000 includes a memory controller 1050 and a memory module 1010 interconnected via a memory bus that includes a data bus 1060 and an address and control bus 1070. As shown, the memory module 1010 is composed of eighteen x4 memory circuits 1020A-I and 1030A-I, one or more interface circuits 1040, an interface circuit 1052 that performs the address and control register function, and a non-volatile memory circuit 1054 (e.g. EEPROM) that includes information about the configuration and capabilities of memory module 1010. For the purpose of illustration, nine interface circuits 1040 are shown, each of which has a 4-bit wide data bus 1080A that connects to a first memory circuit, a 4-bit wide data bus 1080B that connects to a second memory circuit, and an 8-bit wide data bus 1090 that connects to the data bus 1060 of the memory bus. It should be noted that the functions of all the interface circuits 1040 and optionally, that of the interface circuit 1052, may be implemented in a single integrated circuit or in multiple integrated circuits. It should also be noted that memory circuits 1020A-I and 1030A-I may be transposed in many different ways on the memory module. For example, the memory circuits 1020A-I may all be on one side of the memory module whereas the memory circuits 1030A-I may all be on the other side of the module. Alternately, some subset of the memory circuits 1020A-I and some subset of the memory circuits 1030A-I may be on one side of the memory module while the remaining memory circuits are on the other side of the module. In yet another implementation, the two memory circuits that connect to the same interface circuit (e.g. memory circuit 1020A and memory circuit 1030A) may be in a dual-die package (DDP) and thus, share a common package. As an option, the memory subsystem 1000 including the memory controller 1050 and interface circuits 1040 and 1052 may be implemented in the context of the architecture and environment of FIGS. 6-9. Of course, however, the memory subsystem 1000 including the memory controller 1050 and interface circuits 1040 and 1052 may be used in any desired environment. It should also be noted that the aforementioned definitions may apply during the present description.

Memory module 1010 may be configured as a memory module with one rank of x4 memory circuits (i.e. single-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits), as a memory module with two ranks of x8 memory circuits (i.e. a dual-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits), or as a memory module with a single rank of x8 memory circuits (i.e. a single-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits).

FIG. 10 illustrates memory module 1010 configured as a dual-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits. In other words, the eighteen x4 memory circuits are configured into a first rank of memory circuits 1020A-I and a second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I. It can be seen from the figure that, in this configuration, the interface circuits 1040 collectively have a 72-bit wide data interface 1090 to the memory controller 1050 and two 36-bit wide data interfaces, 1080A and 1080B, to the two ranks of memory circuits on the memory module 1010. Since the two ranks of memory circuits have independent data buses that connect them to the interface circuits 1040, the memory controller may operate them in a parallel or overlapped manner, preferably when BL4 accesses are used to read from and write to the memory circuits. That is, the memory controller 1050 may issue BL4 accesses (reads or writes) alternately to the first and second ranks of memory circuits without inserting or causing any idle bus cycles on the data bus 1060. The interface circuits 1040, and optionally 1052, issue corresponding BL8 accesses to the two ranks of memory circuits in an overlapped manner.

FIG. 11 shows an example timing diagram 1100 of BL4 reads to the first rank of memory circuits 1020A-I alternating with BL4 reads to the second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I when memory module 1010 is configured as a dual-rank module with x8 memory circuits, according to an embodiment of this invention. The memory controller 1050 issues a BL4 read command (not shown) to the first rank of memory circuits. This is converted to a BL8 read command 1110 by one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 and sent to the first rank of memory circuits 1020A-I. Each of the memory circuits 1020A-I returns the requested data 1112 as eight nibbles in four clock cycles on data bus 1080A. This data is received by interface circuit 1040 and re-transmitted to the memory controller 1050 as four bytes (i.e. as BL4 data on the 8-bit wide bus 1090) of data 1114. In other words, each of the memory circuits 1020A-I outputs eight nibbles of data 1112 to interface circuit 1040 which, in turn, sends the data as four bytes 1114 to the memory controller. Since the second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I are independently connected to the interface circuits 1040 by means of data buses 1080B, the memory controller may issue a BL4 read command (not shown) to the second rank of memory circuits exactly 2 clock cycles after issuing the BL4 read command to the first rank of memory circuits. The BL4 read command to the second rank is converted to a BL8 read command 1120 by one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 and sent to the second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I. Each of the memory circuits 1030A-I returns the requested data 1122 as eight nibbles in four clock cycles on data bus 1080B. This data is received by interface circuit 1040 and re-transmitted to the memory controller 1050 as four bytes of data 1124. As shown in this figure, there is no idle bus cycle on data bus 1090 (and hence, on data bus 1060) between read data 1114 from the first rank of memory circuits and read data 1124 from the second rank of memory circuits. Subsequent BL4 read commands may be issued in an alternating manner to the two ranks of memory circuits without the memory controller 1050 inserting or causing any idle bus cycles on data bus 1090 (and hence, on data bus 1060). Thus, when memory module 1010 is configured as dual-rank module with x8 memory circuits (i.e. when a x8 memory circuit is emulated using a x4 memory circuit), memory subsystem 1000 may operate with a 0-cycle (zero cycle) intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time for BL4 reads. In other words, the memory controller does not need to ensure idle bus cycles on data bus 1060 while performing alternating and continuous or contiguous BL4 read operations to the different ranks of memory circuits on memory module 1010. It should be noted that idle bus cycles will be needed between successive and continuous or contiguous BL4 reads to the same rank of memory circuits in this configuration.

FIG. 12 shows an example timing diagram 1200 of BL4 writes to the first rank of memory circuits 1020A-Ialternating with BL4 writes to the second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I when memory module 1010 is configured as a dual-rank module with x8 memory circuits, according to an embodiment of this invention. The memory controller 1050 issues a BL4 write command (not shown) to the first rank of memory circuits. This is converted to a BL8 write command 1210 by one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 and sent to the first rank of memory circuits 1020A-I. Interface circuit 1040 receives write data 1212 from the memory controller 1050 as four bytes (i.e. as BL4 data on the 8-bit wide data bus 1090). Interface circuit 1040 then sends the write data to memory circuits 1020A-I as eight nibbles 1214 (i.e. as BL8 data on the 4-bit wide data bus 1080A). Since the second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I are independently connected to interface circuits 1040 by means of data buses 1080B, the memory controller may issue a BL4 write command (not shown) to the second rank of memory circuits exactly 2 clock cycles after issuing the BL4 write command to the first rank of memory circuits. The BL4 write command to the second rank is converted to a BL8 write command 1220 by one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 and send to the second rank of memory circuits 1030A-I. Interface circuit 1040 receives write data 1222 from the memory controller 1050 as four bytes (i.e. as BL4 data on the 8-bit wide data bus 1090) and sends the write data to memory circuits 1030A-Ias eight nibbles 1224 (i.e. as BL8 data on the 4-bit wide data bus 1080B). As shown in this figure, there is no need for the memory controller to insert one or more idle bus cycles between write data 1212 to the first rank of memory circuits and write data 1222 to the second rank of memory circuits. Subsequent BL4 write commands to the two ranks of memory circuits may be issued in an alternating manner without any idle bus cycles on data bus 1060 (and hence, on data bus 1090). Thus, when memory module 1010 is configured as dual-rank module with x8 memory circuits (i.e. when a x8 memory circuit is emulated using a x4 memory circuit), memory subsystem 1000 may operate with a 0-cycle (zero cycle) intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time for BL4 writes. In other words, the memory controller does not need to ensure idle bus cycles on data bus 1060 (and hence, on data bus 1090) while performing alternating and continuous or contiguous BL4 write operations to the different ranks of memory circuits on memory module 1010. It should be noted that idle bus cycles may be needed between successive and continuous or contiguous BL4 writes to the same rank of memory circuits in this configuration.

Memory module 1010 that is configured as a dual-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits as described above provides higher performance (by supporting 0-cycle intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround times) without significant increase in power (since nine memory circuits respond to each command from the memory controller).

Memory module 1010 may also be configured as a single-rank memory module with x4 memory circuits. In this configuration, all the memory circuits 1020A-I and 1030A-I are made to respond in parallel to each command from the memory controller. This configuration provides higher reliability (by supporting ChipKill).

Memory module 1010 may also be configured as a single-rank memory module with x8 memory circuits. In this configuration, two memory circuits that have separate data buses to the corresponding interface circuit (e.g. 1020A and 1030A) are configured by one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 to emulate a single x8 memory circuit with twice the capacity of each of the memory circuits 1020A-land 1030A-I. For example, if each of the memory circuits 1020A-land 1030A-I is a 1 Gb, x4DRAM, then memory module 1010 may be configured as a single-rank 2 GB memory module composed of 2 Gb x8 memory circuits (i.e. memory circuits 1020A and 1030B emulate a single 2 Gb x8 DRAM). This configuration is a lower power configuration. It should be noted that this configuration preferably requires BL4 accesses by the memory controller.

FIG. 13 illustrates a four channel memory subsystem 1300, according to still yet another embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the memory subsystem 1300 includes a memory controller 1310 and four memory channels 1320, 1330, 1340, and 1350. Furthermore, as illustrated, each memory channel has one interface circuit and supports up to two memory modules. For example, memory channel 1320 has interface circuit 1322 and supports up to two memory modules 1324 and 1326. Similarly, memory channel 1330 has interface circuit 1332 and supports up to two memory modules 1334 and 1336; memory channel 1340 has interface circuit 1342 and supports up to two memory modules 1344 and 1346; and memory channel 1350 has one interface circuit 1352 and supports up to two memory modules 1354 and 1356. It should be noted that the function performed by each of the interface circuits 1322, 1332, 1342, and 1352 may be implemented in one or more integrated circuits.

Interface circuit 1322 has two separate memory buses 1328A and 1328B, each of which connects to a memory module. Similarly, interface circuit 1332 has two separate memory buses 1338A and 1338B, interface circuit 1342 has two separate memory buses 1348A and 1348B, and interface circuit 1352 has two separate memory buses 1358A and 1358B. The memory modules may use either x4 memory circuits or x8 memory circuits. As an option, the memory subsystem 1300 including the memory controller 1310 and the interface circuits 1322, 1332, 1342, and 1352 may be implemented in the context of the architecture and environment of FIGS. 6-12. Of course, the memory subsystem 1300 including the memory controller 1310 and the interface circuits 1322, 1332, 1342, and 1352 may be used in any desired environment. It should also be noted that the aforementioned definitions may apply during the present description.

If the memory modules in memory subsystem 1300 are single-rank or dual-rank or quad-rank modules composed of x8 memory circuits, then interface circuit 1322 may be configured, for example, to provide the memory controller with the ability to alternate between a rank on memory bus 1328A and a rank on memory bus 1328B without inserting any idle bus cycles on memory bus 1320 when the memory controller issues BL4 commands. Interface circuits 1332, 1342, and 1352 (and thus, memory buses 1330, 1340, and 1350 respectively) may be configured in a similar manner.

If the memory modules in memory subsystem 1300 are single-rank modules composed of x4 memory circuits, then interface circuit 1322 may be configured to emulate two ranks of x8 memory circuits using a single rank of x4 memory circuits. This configuration provides the memory controller with the ability to alternate between any of the ranks of memory circuits on memory buses 1328A and 1328B without any idle bus cycles on memory bus 1320 when the memory controller issues BL4 commands. Interface circuits 1332, 1342, and 1352 (and thus, memory buses 1330, 1340, and 1350 respectively) may be configured in a similar manner.

More illustrative information will now be set forth regarding various optional architectures and features of different embodiments with which the foregoing frameworks may or may not be implemented, per the desires of the user. It should be noted that the following information is set forth for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting in any manner. Any of the following features may be optionally incorporated with or without the other features described.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, for a BL8 read or write access, a x4 memory circuit belonging to a first rank of memory circuits (say on memory module 422) would connect to the memory bus for four clock cycles and respond to the read or write access. The memory controller must ensure one or more idle bus cycles before performing a read or write access to a x4 memory circuit of a second rank of memory circuits (say on memory module 424). The idle bus cycle(s) provide sufficient time for the x4 memory circuit of the first rank to disconnect from the bus 420 and for the x4 memory circuit of the second rank to connect to the bus 420. For example, a x4 memory circuit of a first rank may receive a BL8 read command from the memory controller during clock cycle T₀, and the memory circuit may transmit the requested data during clock cycles T_(n), T_(n+1), T_(n+2), and T_(n+3), where n is the read column access latency (i.e. read CAS latency) of the memory circuit. The earliest time a x4 memory circuit of a second rank may receive a BL8 read command from the memory controller is clock cycle T₅. In response to this command, the x4 memory circuit of the second rank will transmit the requested data during clock cycles T_(n+5), T_(n+6), T_(n+7), and T_(n+8). Clock cycle T_(n+4) is an idle data bus cycle during which the x4 memory circuit of the first rank (say, on module 422) disconnects from the memory bus 420 and the x4 memory circuit of the second rank (say, on module 424) connects to the memory bus 420. As noted before, this need for idle bus cycles arises when memory circuits belonging to different ranks share a common data bus 420.

In various embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 6-9 and 14, an interface circuit may be configured to emulate a x4 memory circuit using a x8 memory circuit. For example, interface circuit 640 may emulate a x4 memory circuit using a x8 memory circuit (say, memory circuit 620A). A x8 memory circuit 620A needs to connect to the memory bus 680 for only two clock cycles in order to respond to a BL8 read or write access to a x4 memory circuit. Thus, a successive BL8 read or write access to a x4 memory circuit of a different rank may be scheduled to a x8 memory circuit of a second rank (say, memory circuit 630A) four clock cycles after the read or write access to a memory circuit 620A of a first rank. For example, in response to a BL8 read command to a x4 memory circuit of one rank from the memory controller 650, one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 may issue a BL4 read command to a x8 memory circuit 620A of a first rank in clock cycle T₀. The memory circuit 620A may transmit the requested data during clock cycles T_(n) and T_(n+1), where n is the read CAS latency of the memory circuit. Then, the x8 memory circuit 620A of the first rank will disconnect from the memory bus 680 during clock cycles T_(n+2) and T_(n+3). The interface circuit 640 may capture the data from the x8 memory circuit 620A of the first rank and re-transmit it to the memory controller 650 on data bus 690 during clock cycles T_(n+m), T_(n+1+m), T_(n+2+m), and T_(n+3+m), where m is the delay or latency introduced by the interface circuit 640. The memory controller 650 may then schedule a BL8 read access to a x4 memory circuit of a different rank in such a manner that one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 issue a BL4 read command to a x8 memory circuit 630A of a second rank during clock cycle T₄. The x8 memory circuit 630A of the second rank may connect to the memory bus 680 during clock cycle T_(n+3) and optionally T_(n+2), and transmit the requested data to the interface circuit 640 during clock cycles T_(n+4) and T_(n+5). The interface circuit 640 may capture the data from the x8 memory circuit 630A of the second rank and re-transmit it to the memory controller 650 during clock cycles T_(n+4+m), T_(n+5+m), T_(n+6+m), and T_(n+7+m). Thus, a memory subsystem 600 or 900 may have the capability of switching from a first rank of memory circuits to a second rank of memory circuits without requiring idle bus cycles when using an interface circuit of the present invention and configuring it to emulate a x4 memory circuit using a x8 memory circuit.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, for a BL4 read or write access, a x4 or x8 memory circuit belonging to a first rank of memory circuits (say on memory module 422) would connect to the memory bus for two clock cycles and respond to the read or write access. The memory controller inserts one or more idle bus cycles before performing a read or write access to a x4 or x8 memory circuit of a second rank of memory circuits (say on memory module 424). The idle bus cycle(s) provide sufficient time for the memory circuit of the first rank to disconnect from the bus 420 and for the memory circuit of the second rank to connect to the bus 420. For example, a memory circuit of a first rank may receive a BL4 read command from the memory controller during clock cycle T₀, and the memory circuit may transmit the requested data during clock cycles T_(n) and T_(n+1), where n is the read column access latency (i.e. read CAS latency) of the memory circuit. The earliest time a memory circuit of a second rank may receive a BL4 read command from the memory controller is clock cycle T₃. In response to this command, the memory circuit of the second rank will transmit the requested data during clock cycles T_(n+3) and T_(n+4). Clock cycle T_(n+2) is an idle data bus cycle during which the memory circuit of the first rank (say, on module 422) disconnects from the memory bus 420 and the memory circuit of the second rank (say, on module 424) connects to the memory bus 420. As noted before, this need for idle bus cycles arises when memory circuits belonging to different ranks share a common data bus 420.

In various embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 10-14, an interface circuit may be configured to emulate a x8 memory circuit using a x4 memory circuit. For example, interface circuit 1040 emulates two x8 memory circuits using two x4 memory circuits (say, memory circuits 1020A and 1030A) for BL4 accesses to the x8 memory circuits. The interface circuit connects to each x4 memory circuit by means of an independent 4-bit wide data bus, while presenting an 8-bit wide data bus to the memory controller. Since the memory controller issues only BL4 accesses, alternating BL4 read or write access to the memory circuits of two different ranks may be scheduled without any idle bus cycles on the data bus connecting the memory controller to the interface circuit. For example, in response to a BL4 read command to a x8 memory circuit of one rank from the memory controller 1050, one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 may issue a BL8 read command to a x4 memory circuit 1020A of a first rank in clock cycle T₀. The memory circuit 1020A may transmit the requested data on data bus 1080A during clock cycles T_(n), T_(n+1), T_(n+2), and T_(n+3), where n is the read CAS latency of the memory circuit. The interface circuit 1040 may capture the data from the x4 memory circuit 1020A of the first rank and re-transmit it to the memory controller 1050 on data bus 1090 during clock cycles T_(n+m) and T_(n+1+m), where m is the delay or latency introduced by the interface circuit 1040. The memory controller 1050 may then schedule a BL4 read access to a x8 memory circuit of a different rank in such a manner that one or more of the interface circuits 1040 and 1052 issue a BL8 read command to a x4 memory circuit 1030A of a second rank during clock cycle T₂. The x4 memory circuit 1030A of the second rank may transmit the requested data on data bus 1080B to the interface circuit 1040 during clock cycles T_(n+2), T_(n+3), T_(n+4), and T_(n+5). The interface circuit 1040 may capture the data from the x4 memory circuit 1030A of the second rank and re-transmit it to the memory controller 650 during clock cycles T_(n+2+m) and T_(n+3+m). Thus, a memory subsystem 1000 or 1300 may have the capability of alternating BL4 accesses between a first rank of memory circuits and a second rank of memory circuits without requiring idle bus cycles when using an interface circuit of the present invention and configuring it to emulate a x8 memory circuit using a x4 memory circuit.

In various memory subsystems (e.g. 300, 600, 900, 1000, 1300, etc.), the memory controller (e.g. 340, 650, 910, 1050, 1310, etc.) may read the contents of a non-volatile memory circuit (e.g. 334, 654, 1054, etc.), typically an EEPROM, that contains information about the configuration and capabilities of memory module (e.g. 310, 610, 924A, 924B, 1010, 1324, 1326, etc.). The memory controller may then configure itself to interoperate with the memory module(s). For example, memory controller 300 may read the contents of the non-volatile memory circuit 334 that contains information about the configuration and capabilities of memory module 310. The memory controller 300 may then configure itself to interoperate with memory module 310. Additionally, the memory controller 300 may send configuration commands to the memory circuits 320A-J and then, start normal operation. The configuration commands sent to the memory circuits typically set the speed of operation and the latencies of the memory circuits, among other things. The actual organization of the memory module may not be changed by the memory controller in prior art memory subsystems (e.g. 100, 200, and 300). For example, if the memory circuits 320A-J are 1 Gb x4 DDR3 SDRAMs, certain aspects of the memory module (e.g. number of memory circuits per rank, number of ranks, number of rows per memory circuit, number of columns per memory circuit, width of each memory circuit, rank-rank turnaround times) are all fixed parameters and cannot be changed by the memory controller 340 or by any other interface circuit (e.g. 330) on the memory module.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a memory module and/or a memory subsystem (e.g. 600, 900, 1000, 1300, etc.) may be constructed such that the user has the ability to change certain aspects (e.g. number of memory circuits per rank, number of ranks, number of rows per memory circuit, number of columns per memory circuit, width of each memory circuit, rank-rank turnaround times) of the memory module. For example, the user may select between higher memory reliability and lower memory power. To illustrate, at boot time, memory controller 650 may read the contents of a non-volatile memory circuit 654 (e.g. EEPROM) that contains information about the configuration and capabilities of memory module 610. The memory controller may then change the configuration and capabilities of memory module 610 based on user input or user action. The re-configuration of memory module 610 may be done in many ways. For example, memory controller 650 may send special re-configuration commands to one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652. Alternately, memory controller 650 may overwrite the contents of non-volatile memory circuit 654 to reflect the desired configuration of memory module 610 and then direct one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652, to read the contents of non-volatile memory circuit 654 and re-configure themselves. As an example, the default mode of operation of memory module 610 may be a module with x4 memory circuits. In other words, interface circuit 640 uses x8 memory circuits to emulate x4 memory circuits. As noted previously, this enables Chipkill and thus provides higher memory reliability. However, the user may desire lower memory power instead. So, at boot time, memory controller 650 may check a software file or setting that reflects the user's preferences and re-configure memory module 610 to operate as a module with x8 memory circuits. In this case, certain other configuration parameters or aspects pertaining to memory module 610 may also change. For example, when there are thirty six x8 memory circuits on memory module 610, and when the module is operated as a module with x8 memory circuits, the number of ranks on the module may change from two to four.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the interface circuits (e.g. 640, 652, 922, 1040, 1052, 1322, etc.) may have the capability to also emulate higher capacity memory circuits using a plurality of lower capacity memory circuits. The higher capacity memory circuit may be emulated to have a different organization than that of the plurality of lower capacity memory circuits, wherein the organization may include a number of banks, a number of rows, a number of columns, or a number of bits per column. Specifically, the emulated memory circuit may have the same or different number of banks than that associated with the plurality of memory circuits; same or different number of rows than that associated with the plurality of memory circuits; same or different number of columns than that associated with the plurality of memory circuits; same or different number of bits per column than that associated with the plurality of memory circuits; or any combination thereof. For example, one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 may emulate a higher capacity memory circuits by combining the two memory circuits. To illustrate, say that all the memory circuits on memory module 610 are 1 Gb x8 DRAMs. As shown in FIG. 6, the module 610 may be operated as a dual-rank 4 GB DIMM composed of 1 Gb x4 DRAMs. That is, the interface circuits 640 and 652 emulate a 1 Gb x4 DRAM that has a different number of bits per column than the plurality of 1 Gb x8 DRAMs on the module. However, one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 may be configured such that memory module 610 now emulates a single-rank 4 GB DIMM composed of 2 Gb x4 DRAMs to memory controller 650. In other words, one or more of the interface circuits 640 and 652 may combine memory circuits 620A and 630A and emulate a 2 Gb x4 DRAM. The 2 Gb x4 DRAM may be emulated to have twice the number of rows but the same number of columns as the plurality of 1 Gb x8 DRAMs on the module. Alternately, the 2 Gb x4 DRAM may be emulated to have the same number of rows but twice the number of columns as the plurality of 1 Gb x8 DRAMs on the module. In another implementation, the 2 Gb x4 DRAM may be emulated to have twice the number of banks but the same number of rows and columns as the plurality of 1 Gb x8 DRAMs on the module. In yet another implementation, the 2 Gb x4 DRAM may be emulated to have four times the number of banks as the plurality of 1 Gb x8 DRAMs but have half the number of rows or half the number of columns as the 1 Gb x8 DRAMs. Of course, the 2 Gb DRAM may be emulated as having any other combination of number of banks, number of rows, number of columns, and number of bits per column.

FIG. 14A illustrates a computer platform (i.e., a computer system) 1400A that includes a platform chassis 1410, and at least one processing element that consists of or contains one or more boards, including at least one motherboard 1420. Of course the platform 1400A as shown might comprise a single case and a single power supply and a single motherboard. However, it might also be implemented in other combinations where a single enclosure hosts a plurality of power supplies and a plurality of motherboards or blades.

The motherboard 1420 in turn might be organized into several partitions, including one or more processor sections 1426 consisting of one or more processors 1425 and one or more memory controllers 1424, and one or more memory sections 1428. Of course, as is known in the art, the notion of any of the aforementioned sections is purely a logical partitioning, and the physical devices corresponding to any logical function or group of logical functions might be implemented fully within a single logical boundary, or one or more physical devices for implementing a particular logical function might span one or more logical partitions. For example, the function of the memory controller 1424 might be implemented in one or more of the physical devices associated with the processor section 1426, or it might be implemented in one or more of the physical devices associated with the memory section 1428.

FIG. 14B illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a memory section, such as, for example, the memory section 1428, in communication with a processor section 1426 over one or more busses, possibly including bus 1434. In particular, FIG. 14B depicts embodiments of the invention as is possible in the context of the various physical partitions on structure 1420. As shown, one or more memory modules 1430 ₁, 1430 ₂-1430 _(N) each contain one or more interface circuits 1450 ₁-1450 _(N) and one or more DRAMs 1442 ₁, 1442 ₂-1442 _(N) positioned on (or within) a memory module 1430 ₁.

It must be emphasized that although the memory is labeled variously in the figures (e.g. memory, memory components, DRAM, etc), the memory may take any form including, but not limited to, DRAM, synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, etc.), graphics double data rate synchronous DRAM (GDDR SDRAM, GDDR2 SDRAM, GDDR3 SDRAM, etc.), quad data rate DRAM (QDR DRAM), RAMBUS XDR DRAM (XDR DRAM), fast page mode DRAM (FPM DRAM), video DRAM (VDRAM), extended data out DRAM (EDO DRAM), burst EDO RAM (BEDO DRAM), multibank DRAM (MDRAM), synchronous graphics RAM (SGRAM), phase-change memory, flash memory, and/or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory.

Many other partition boundaries are possible and contemplated, including, without limitation, positioning one or more interface circuits 1450 between a processor section 1426 and a memory module 1430 (see FIG. 14C), or implementing the function of the one or more interface circuits 1450 within the memory controller 1424 (see FIG. 14D), or positioning one or more interface circuits 1450 in a one-to-one relationship with the DRAMs 1442 ₁-1442 _(N) and a memory module 1430 (see 14E), or implementing the one or more interface circuits 1450 within a processor section 1426 or even within a processor 1425 (see FIG. 14F).

Furthermore, the systems illustrated in FIGS. 6-13 are analogous to the computer platform 1400A and 1410 illustrated in FIGS. 14A-14F. Therefore, all discussions of FIGS. 6-13 apply with equal force to the systems illustrated in FIGS. 14A-14F.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is determined by the claims that follow. 

1. (canceled)
 2. A memory module comprising: a first rank of memory circuits comprising a first memory circuit; a second rank of memory circuits comprising a second memory circuit; an interface circuit; a first data bus that connects to the first memory circuit, the second memory circuit, and the interface circuit, the first data bus having a first data bus width; and a second data bus that connects to the interface circuit and a memory controller, the second data bus having a second data bus width, wherein the second data bus width is narrower than the first data bus width; wherein the interface circuit is operable to: receive a first read command from the memory controller to read first data stored in the first memory circuit; after receiving the first read command, receive a second read command from the memory controller to read second data that is stored in the second memory circuit; enable a chip select pin of the first memory circuit to connect the first memory circuit to the first data bus; read the first data from the first memory circuit across the first data bus; transmit the first data to the memory controller across the second data bus; insert idle clock cycles, and during the idle clock cycles: (i) disable the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to disconnect the first memory circuit from the first data bus, and (ii) enable a chip select pin of the second memory circuit to connect the second memory circuit to the first data bus, while the first data is being transmitted to the memory controller across the second data bus; read the second data from the second memory circuit across the first data bus; and transmit the second data to the memory controller across the second data bus without a delay on the second data bus between the first data and the second data.
 3. The memory module of claim 2, wherein the interface circuit is further operable to: receive a first write command from the memory controller to write first data to the first memory circuit; after receiving the first write command, receive a second write command from the memory controller to write second data to the second memory circuit; receive the first write data across the second data bus from the memory controller; receive the second write data across the second data bus from the memory controller, wherein the first write data and the second write data are received by the interface circuit without a delay on the second data bus between the first write data and the second write data; enable the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to connect the first memory circuit to the first data bus; transmit the first write data to the first memory circuit across the first data bus; insert idle clock cycles, and during the idle clock cycles: (i) disable the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to disconnect the first memory circuit from the first data bus, and (ii) enable the chip select pin of the second memory circuit to connect the second memory circuit to the first data bus; and transmit the second write data to the second memory circuit across the first data bus.
 4. The memory module of claim 2, wherein the interface circuit is further operable to insert idle clock cycles in a burst chop mode.
 5. The memory module of claim 2, wherein the memory circuits in the first rank and the second rank are x8 memory circuits, and wherein the interface circuit is further operable to present the memory module to the memory controller as a memory module with x4 memory circuits.
 6. The memory module of claim 2, further comprising: a non-volatile memory circuit that stores configuration and capabilities of the memory module to be presented to the memory controller, wherein the interface circuit is further operable to modify the configuration and capabilities stored on the non-volatile memory circuit.
 7. The memory module of claim 2, wherein the second data bus width is half of the first data bus width.
 8. The memory module of claim 2, wherein the delay is an intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time.
 9. A sub-system comprising: an interface circuit; a first memory module comprising: a first rank of memory circuits comprising a first memory circuit; a second memory module comprising: a second rank of memory circuits comprising a second memory circuit; a first data bus that connects to the first memory module, the second memory module, and the interface circuit, the first data bus having a first data bus width; and a second data bus that connects to the interface circuit and a memory controller, the second data bus having a second data bus width, wherein the second data bus width is narrower than the first data bus width; wherein the interface circuit is operable to: receive a first read command from the memory controller to read first data stored in the first memory circuit; after receiving the first read command, receive a second read command from the memory controller to read second data that is stored in the second memory circuit; enable a chip select pin of the first memory circuit to connect the first memory circuit to the first data bus; read the first data from the first memory circuit across the first data bus; transmit the first data to the memory controller across the second data bus; insert idle clock cycles, and during the idle clock cycles: (i) disable the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to disconnect the first memory circuit from the first data bus, and (ii) enable a chip select pin of the second memory circuit to connect the second memory circuit to the first data bus, while the first data is being transmitted to the memory controller across the second data bus; read the second data from the second memory circuit across the first data bus; and transmit the second data to the memory controller across the second data bus without a delay on the second data bus between the first data and the second data.
 10. The sub-system of claim 9, wherein the interface circuit is further operable to: receive a first write command from the memory controller to write first data to the first memory circuit; after receiving the first write command, receive a second write command from the memory controller to write second data to the second memory circuit; receive the first write data across the second data bus from the memory controller; receive the second write data across the second data bus from the memory controller, wherein the first write data and the second write data are received by the interface circuit without a delay on the second data bus between the first write data and the second write data; enable the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to connect the first memory circuit to the first data bus; transmit the first write data to the first memory circuit across the first data bus; insert idle clock cycles, and during the idle clock cycles: (i) disable the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to disconnect the first memory circuit from the first data bus, and (ii) enable the chip select pin of the second memory circuit to connect the second memory circuit to the first data bus; and transmit the second write data to the second memory circuit across the first data bus.
 11. The sub-system of claim 9, wherein the interface circuit is further operable to insert idle clock cycles in a burst chop mode.
 12. The sub-system of claim 9, wherein the memory circuits in the first rank and the second rank are x8 memory circuits, and wherein the interface circuit is further operable to present the first memory module and the second memory module to the memory controller as memory modules with x4 memory circuits.
 13. The sub-system of claim 9, further comprising: a non-volatile memory circuit that stores configuration and capabilities of the first memory module and the second memory module to be presented to the memory controller, wherein the interface circuit is further operable to modify the configuration and capabilities stored on the non-volatile memory circuit.
 14. The sub-system of claim 9, wherein the second data bus width is half of the first data bus width.
 15. The sub-system of claim 9, wherein the delay is an inter-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time.
 16. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, from a memory controller by an interface circuit, a first read command to read first data stored in a first memory circuit; after receiving the first read command, receiving a second read command from the memory controller to read second data that is stored in a second memory circuit; enabling a chip select pin of the first memory circuit to connect the first memory circuit to a first data bus, wherein the first data bus is connected to the first memory circuit, the second memory circuit, and the interface circuit, and wherein the first data bus has a first data bus width; reading the first data from the first memory circuit across the first data bus; transmitting the first data to the memory controller across a second data bus, wherein the second data bus is connected to the interface circuit and the memory controller, wherein the second data bus has a second data bus width that is narrower than the first data bus width; inserting idle clock cycles, and during the idle clock cycles: (i) disabling the chip select pin of the first memory circuit to disconnect the first memory circuit from the first data bus, and (ii) enabling a chip select pin of the second memory circuit to connect the second memory circuit to the first data bus, while the first data is being transmitted to the memory controller across the second data bus; reading the second data from the second memory circuit across the first data bus; and transmit the second data to the memory controller across the second data bus without a delay on the second data bus between the first data and the second data.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein inserting idle clock cycles further comprises inserting the idle clock cycles in a burst chop mode.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second data bus width is half of the first data bus width.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the delay is an intra-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the delay is an inter-DIMM rank-rank turnaround time.
 21. The method of claim 16, further comprising: modifying configuration and capabilities stored on a non-volatile memory circuit, wherein the non-volatile memory circuit stores the configuration and the capabilities of the first memory circuit and the second memory circuit to be presented to the memory controller. 